Help me help my Economic Development Director.......

[mikita21]

So here's the thing.....in Owen Sound (where we have seen some snowflakes already), our Economic Development Director (also in charge of tourism) thinks a barbecue event of some kind would be a great thing to have -- there is simply no such thing currently in our neighbourhood. He gets all excited when I tell him where I have been this past season and seems to have just fallen head over heels in love with the idea.

I know that as a Memphis-certified judge, I can get a template/manual/how-to book for that style of event. Also, subject to what he'd like to attach it to here in the city, this seems a great clearing house to edit appropriate dates.

So: Is there such a thing as a ready-made guideline on how Canadian contests are run? I know the basis is KCBS, and I can certainly go there, but there are just enough differences to make Canadian contests unique. I just don't know how firm the guidelines are for running a contest that would attract competitors and have them judged fairly and accurately (my first priority -- his will be different).

I have already impressed upon him & others the importance of things like vending, but that seems outside the standard event template.

WHEN HE WANTS TO START PUTTING TOGETHER A BARBECUE COOKING CONTEST, WHAT IMPORTANT THINGS SHOULD HE BEST BE NOT OVERLOOKING?

[Hippieforever99]

Back in the days of the CBA I posed the same questions, got little response. Maybe now that it is no longer things will be different. I always thought that it would be great to have some guidelines and check lists of sorts, to put on an event here in Ontario. But without an association/organization to oversee something like this I don't know how hard it would be to do. I always thought that since so many people here want to see BBQ comps grow here in Ontario, this would be the best way to do it. You want to organize a comp then here is a packet that takes you through the process step by step and tells you all that you need to know to do it. Insurance, health regulations, beer garden regulations, toilets, hydro,water, etc. Sure things will change a little due to city bylaws being different, but it will at least give one a great idea of what to look for. The one thing that gets me though is that some say KCBS this and Memphis that. Who cares about that, we are Canadians and should come up with our own set of rules that suits us, and not worry about our cousins to the South. They have two main sets of rules down there, and they adapt to where ever they are competing. Just like our Canadian teams have to adapt, that compete South of the border. So why not make some rules that are truly Canadian? It seems to me that we use American rules with a Canadian twist on it now. Why not Canadian rules with an American twist? Anyways, sorry for getting side tracked there. I think you are right on the money asking for a template of sorts, as I think it would save alot of time, effort, and offer some consistency to the events held up here. That is the end of my .05 so good luck on your quest and great idea. Maybe something will happen now that the CBA is no longer. Hippie

[mikita21]

I was never involved in CBA and am embroiled in all that American stuff (memphis) so I am kind of caught up in it. When I did the St. Thomas event in September, I kind of got the impression that Mike, Barb, Harvey & some others might be on their way to stabilizing what I see right now as a completely fractious barbecue competition scene in Canada. I mean, the Canadian Championship is way out in Whistler, for goodness sake, but I suspect this (Mighty Manufacturing Ontario) is where the teams are.........(that's my digression).

One of the explanations I got at St. Thomas was that in fact, there is, loosely, a Canadian set of rules; yeah, they are a twist on the KCBS, but that may be OK, as long as something gets firmed up, standardized and most importantly, is a set of rules/guidelines/objectives that will satsify all the barbecue cookers out there who will leave their catering and restaurant business behind for a weekend (or several) and go out competing. It has to be good, but it has to be right.

In the absence of anything specifically Canadian (and maybe we'll write it up here in Owen Sound by 2011 *G*), my tendency is to lean toward building a genuine KCBS-sanctioned contest with good prize cash, unique trophies, vending and in my perfect world, a champ's invite to a larger contest like the Royal or the Jack. It seems to me that if cooking teams see real reward and cashback, they can be lured. Most community staff can do the other stuff to ensure the public has a good time.

Ya gotta understand this is just kind of percolating somewhere under my thinning hair right now with lots of sorting out ahead.....just like barbecue cooking competition in Ontario!

[Diva Q]

Having travelled now this year for the first time to the West I will say they have a lot more competitors out that way than I realized. Their comps run on the PNWBA guidelines. It works. A little different than KCBS. Plus they have really cool scanners than scan the barcodes of the turn in boxes without anyone actually having to manually change the number for the blind system. You know travelling around this year I really like the challenges with changing guidelines from area to area it makes it really fun and interesting. This year alone we have dealt with KCBS, PNWBA, NEBS(grilling only), St. Thomas, Paris, Toronto and now off to Georgia for another set of guidelines. I don't think we need a concrete set of rules for every comp in Canada. I think the best things we have found is when the comp is cooker friendly. That makes the biggest difference to the enjoyment factor. I think the communication before a competition is one of the most important. As long as you are clear on the rules well before the competition it works. No last minute changes to the rules - everyone knows what is expected ahead of time. A responsible fair head judge, decent judges (somewhat trained is ideal imho) decent payouts and a well organized comp. Those work for us.